Dual fan, solar powered ventilation system for portable toilet enclosures and method of use

ABSTRACT

The dual fan, solar powered fan for a portable enclosure, like a portable toilet structure includes: a first upper fan unit that includes a first main housing for mounting to a sidewall of the portable toilet enclosure. The first main housing consists of: a first backing plate for attaching to an upper section of the sidewall, a first vent hole surround that passes at least partially through a first fan hole in the sidewall, an electrically powered, first motorized fan for positioning over the first vent hole surround to serve as an exhaust fan for the portable toilet enclosure, and a solar panel for affixing to the first backing plate, said solar panel being electrically connected to the first motorized exhaust fan. 
     The second lower fan unit for this invention includes a second main housing for mounting to the same sidewall of the portable enclosure a set distance away from the first fan unit. That second main housing includes: a second backing plate for attaching to a lower section the sidewall the set distance from the first fan unit, a second vent hole surround that passes at least partially through a second fan hole in the sidewall, and an electrically powered, second motorized fan for positioning over the second vent hole surround to serve as an intake fan for the portable toilet enclosure. Lastly, there is included an electrical connection from the solar panel in the first main connection to the second motorized fan of the second main housing.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/501,688, filed on May 23, 2019, the disclosure of which is fully incorporated herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a solar powered ventilation system for a small portable enclosure. More particularly, it relates to a solar powered system for cross-ventilating a portable toilet (or portajohn). While it helps with the cooling of the enclosure, it is mostly meant to serve as means for getting fresh air IN and getting stagnant air from within the structure OUT so as to help remove the foul smelling air inside the portajohn. Current plans are to make and sell such systems under the trademark JOHNNEY FAN™

Unlike any systems before it, this invention utilizes TWO solar powered fans for removing the bad pungent air that gets created inside a typical portable toilet unit due to decomposing fecal matter. This system creates a continuous airflow inside the portajohn unit. It uses one fan to serve as a dedicated air intake and a second fan as an exhaust. Fresh air gets drawn into the enclosure/chamber via the intake fan while at the same time foul, bad smelling air gets removed (simultaneously) with the exhaust fan.

2. Description of the Related Art

Portable enclosures, such as tool sheds and, in particular, portable toilet facilities, are often positioned in environments where they are exposed to direct sunlight, such as construction sites and the like. The interiors of these enclosures can become quite warm in this sort of environment, which can have negative effects on waste products and volatile compounds stored within the enclosures, particularly in the generation of noxious and offensive fumes. Thus, it is necessary to provide some system for truly circulating bad air out AND good air into the enclosure.

Typical portable toilet facilities include a grating or vent, often formed within the ceiling of the enclosure. Addition of one ventilating fan to that grating or vent provides for the passage of fresh air into the interior of the structure. The user does not have control over the direction of that airflow since the fan is typically stably mounted onto the roof of the structure . . . and the user is not provided with direct access to that lone fan.

Further, fans and ventilation systems for portable housings are typically permanently mounted to the housing and must be transported along with the enclosure. It would be preferable to provide a fan that is not only portable in and of itself, but adapted for mounting to a wide variety of different structures. Thus a system with TWO solar powered fans, one for input (or intake) and the other for output (or exhaust), is most desired.

Barrett U.S. Pat. No. 7,455,582 disclosed a solar powered fan for a portable toilet facility back in November 2008. However, that fan arrangement leaves a lot to be desired. First, it only circulates the existing air (stinky, smelly, stale, hot) within the enclosure. Second, it used only a single circulating fan whereas the present “Johnney Fan” utilizes two fans: one acting as an intake unit (preferably, lower mounted) and the other as an exhaust unit (higher mounted) for creating a continuous flow of fresh air from the outside and into the toilet enclosure proper. Third, the Barrett system only directed air to a specific location inside the portable toilet facility. By contrast, the system of this invention is non-directional; it affects the entire inside air quality in a uniform consistent manner so as to provide a comfortable, enjoyable inside environment. Lastly, the Barrett solar panel is directional (or old technology). The “Johnney Fan”, by contrast, has a non-directional solar panel allowing it to operate under most any daylight conditions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The dual fan, solar powered fan for a portable enclosure, like a portable toilet structure includes: a first upper fan unit that includes a first main housing for mounting to a sidewall of the portable toilet enclosure. The first main housing consists of: a first backing plate for attaching to an upper section of the sidewall, a first vent hole surround that passes at least partially through a first fan hole in the sidewall, an electrically powered, first motorized fan for positioning over the first vent hole surround to serve as an exhaust fan for the portable toilet enclosure, and a solar panel for affixing to the first backing plate, said solar panel being electrically connected to the first motorized exhaust fan.

The second lower fan unit for this invention includes a second main housing for mounting to the same sidewall of the portable enclosure a set distance away from the first fan unit. That second main housing includes: a second backing plate for attaching to a lower section the sidewall the set distance from the first fan unit, a second vent hole surround that passes at least partially through a second fan hole in the sidewall, and an electrically powered, second motorized fan for positioning over the second vent hole surround to serve as an intake fan for the portable toilet enclosure. Lastly, there is included an electrical connection from the solar panel in the first main connection to the second motorized fan of the second main housing.

A method for using (i.e., installing) this system on a newly constructed or retrofitting to an existing portable toilet structure is also disclosed.

These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features, objectives and advantages of this invention will be made clearer with the following detailed description made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front exploded view of one preferred embodiment of this invention showing its subcomponent parts including a solar panel and exhaust fan component, an intake fan component, an indirect light solar panel and a plurality of sealed fan motor units with blades;

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the front upper housing cover to the solar panel and exhaust fan;

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the rear upper housing cover;

FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the front lower housing cover;

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of the rear lower housing cover;

FIG. 6A is a front plan view of the front upper housing cover from FIG. 2;

FIG. 6B is a right side view of the same front upper housing cover;

FIG. 6C is a bottom plan view of the same front upper housing cover;

FIG. 7A is a front plan view of the rear upper housing cover from FIG. 3;

FIG. 7B is a side view of the same rear upper housing cover;

FIG. 8A is a front plan view of the front lower housing cover from FIG. 4;

FIG. 8B is a side view of the same front lower housing cover;

FIG. 9A is a front plan view of the rear lower housing cover from FIG. 5;

FIG. 9B is a side view of the same rear lower housing cover;

FIG. 10 is a top perspective view of the two fan units for this ventilation system, the upper exhaust fan and solar panel situated above the lower intake fan unit; and

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a representative portable toilet structure showing installation of the invention on a sidewall of the same.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIGS. 1 through 10 illustrate the main structural components to this improved ventilation system for a portable enclosure, like the representative portajohn enclosure PJ shown in accompanying FIG. 11. Each of the two main Johnney fan units, upper fan module 10 and lower fan unit 12, consist of sets of ABS, injection-molded fan housings. The first, upper exhaust unit 10 includes a front upper housing cover 1, that has an aperture through which a solar panel 5 can be accessed, or at least partially protrudes beyond. As shown, to the right of this solar panel aperture SA, there is situated a fan aperture FA that preferably includes a fan, air-diverting hood FH. A plurality of mounting screw holes MS are located at the four corners to this front upper housing cover 1 though it is to be understood that other portajohn mounting alternatives may be used to supplement mounting screw holes MS, or serve as a full substitute therefor.

A rear upper housing cover 2, with matching apertures FA and MS is desired for better mounting into and preferably, at least partially through, an aperture drilled into an upper sidewall of the portajohn enclosure PJ during initial installation of this system. Note that in this first embodiment, rear housing cover 2 has NO solar panel aperture equivalent. Instead, such solar panels rest ON the main planar face of upper housing cover 2.

For the latter pass through of air, from the supplied fan through fan aperture FA, rear upper housing cover 2 may be fitted with a pass through protrusion or wall lip WL. It can serve as an air diverter/deflector of sorts. Rear housing 2 also provides some structural rigidity to the solar panel 5 resting thereon, beneath the solar panel aperture SA in front upper housing cover, item 1 above. As shown, rear upper housing cover 2 also includes a plurality of solar panel connect points SP. They may be screw hole apertures, or raised pins onto which a preferred solar panel configuration may permanently mount.

For the solar panel component 5, it is preferred that most any indirect light source unit may be used herewith. It doesn't need to be especially powerful, or connect to any energy storage source like a battery. To a lesser extent, however, a supplemental battery pack (permanent, or rechargeable), not shown, MAY BE combined with this in still other variations.

A DC fan motor 6 with fan blades mounts between the front upper housing cover 1 and rear upper housing cover 2. It may be permanently mounted to either housing cover, or to both. Alternately, fan motor 6 may be temporarily affixed to one or both housing covers, by screws or the like, should the need arise to remove and replace the fans of this unit with prolonged use, or possibly at the start of each spring-summer season. In any event, the output from this DC fan motor 6 will pass through fan aperture

FA in the front upper housing cover 1 when the unit is fully installed in its portajohn PJ enclosure/structure. Lastly, an exhaust fan power wire EW extends outwardly from this DC fan motor 6 for subsequent powering through the solar panel wiring SW extending from panel 5.

The intake fan component 12 is meant to be situated low, i.e. just slightly up from the floor of the portajohn unit PJ . . . more preferably about 15-20 inches from a lowermost sidewall of the portajohn PJ. The lower intake fan 12 also comprises its own front housing 3, with its own air-diverting, fan hood FH mounted and plurality of mounting screw holes MS about its outer perimeter. As shown, the assembly is square shaped so the mounting holes are situated at each corner of front housing 3. It is to be understood, however, that other fan configurations/shapes are possible with the present invention, including circular, oval and/or polygonal fan assemblies—and that the mounting holes for such alternate shapes/configurations will be adjusted accordingly.

Intake fan 12, like its upper exhaust fan 10 companion, similarly has a rear housing plate 4. Preferably, it likewise includes a wall lip WL and plurality of mounting screw holes MS so that a lower fan motor 6 may be permanently or just temporarily situated between lower front housing plate 3 and rear housing plate 4. In the embodiment shown, lower rear housing plate 4 further includes a plurality (four, preferred) of fan pins FP against which a fan motor 6 may be situated, affixed or otherwise attached.

Any variety of mechanical fasteners may be used to mount this system TO AND THROUGH the common sidewall of a portajohn PJ. Such mounting means may be supplemented with adhesives depending on the exposure temperatures and other weather conditions.

The intake fan motor 6, like its exhaust counterpart, has its own power cord/lead, i.e. intake wire IW that connects upwardly to the same power source, solar wire SW. One embodiment includes a wiring aperture WA through which to run such electrical connections. When the whole of intake fan 12 is installed onto an outer sidewall of the portajohn PJ, less than two feet above the ground surface, it may be prudent to cover the main wire connector 14 between upper and lower fan assemblies with an easy-to-stick on wire wrap or cover WC.

Unlike any of the prior art portajohn fans, solar powered or otherwise, this invention employs a PAIR of solar-powered units to affect a truly continuous flow of air through the portajohn interior. Good air gets pulled in at the lower level, through intake fan 12 and smelly bad air gets blown out, towards the top of the enclosure unit, through exhaust fan 10.

In a preferred method of using/installing this invention in/onto an existing portajohn structure, first holes must be drilled into the same enclosure sidewall: (a) towards the top—for the subsequent mounting of exhaust fan unit 10; and (b) roughly a foot and a half from the floor—for the insertion and mounting of intake fan unit 12 through this lower hole. Ideally, for the components sized and shown above, a 3″ diameter hole at the top and bottom suffices. Then the two main fan components are affixed to the portajohn and duly wired together for connection to the main, shared solar panel. It is preferred that only one, UPPER, panel be used—rather than two separate, stand alone solar panels—i.e., one for each of the upper exhaust and lower intake fan assemblies, since a common unit would provide sufficient power to both fans. A dual power arrangement, by contrast, might not be adequately positionable to receive solar powering when situated much closer to the portajohn floor, or to the ground . . . and, a lower solar power unit might be more vulnerable to tampering and/or other vandalism acts.

While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A solar powered ventilation system for a portable enclosure comprises: (a) a first fan unit that includes a first main housing for mounting to a sidewall of the portable enclosure, said first main housing including: a first backing plate for attaching to the sidewall, a first vent hole surround that passes at least partially through a first fan hole in the sidewall, an electrically powered, first motorized fan for positioning over the first vent hole surround, and a solar panel for affixing to the first backing plate, said solar panel being electrically connected to the first motorized fan; (b) a second fan unit that includes a second main housing for mounting to the same sidewall of the portable enclosure a set distance away from the first fan unit, said second main housing including: a second backing plate for attaching to the sidewall the set distance from the first fan unit, a second vent hole surround that passes at least partially through a second fan hole in the sidewall, an electrically powered, second motorized fan for positioning over the second vent hole surround, and (c) an electrical connection from the solar panel in the first main connection to the second motorized fan of the second main housing.
 2. The solar powered ventilation system of claim 1 wherein the portable enclosure is a portable toilet structure.
 3. The solar powered ventilation system of claim 1 wherein the first fan unit is an air exhaust unit and the second fan unit is a fresh air intake unit for creating an air circulation loop into and out of the portable enclosure.
 4. The solar powered ventilation system of claim 1 wherein the first fan unit is located closer to a ceiling for the portable enclosure.
 5. The solar powered ventilation system of claim 1 wherein the second fan unit is located closer to a floor for the portable enclosure.
 6. The solar powered ventilation system of claim 5 wherein the second fan unit is located between about 12 to 24 inches above the floor for the portable enclosure.
 7. The solar powered ventilation system of claim 6 wherein the second fan unit is located about 18 inches above the floor for the portable enclosure.
 8. The solar powered ventilation system of claim 1 wherein the first main housing further includes a first front cover portion for minimizing accidental damage to the first motorized fan and the second main housing further includes a second front cover portion for minimizing accidental damage to the second motorized fan.
 9. The solar powered ventilation system of claim 8 wherein at least one of the first front cover portion and the second front cover portion includes an air directing hood extension.
 10. The solar powered ventilation system of claim 1, which further includes a wire covering over the electrical connection from the solar panel in the first main connection to the second motorized fan of the second main housing.
 11. A dual fan, solar powered ventilation system for a portable toilet enclosure, said ventilation system comprising: (a) a first upper fan unit that includes a first main housing for mounting to a sidewall of the portable toilet enclosure, said first main housing including: a first backing plate for attaching to an upper section of the sidewall, a first vent hole surround that passes at least partially through a first fan hole in the sidewall, an electrically powered, first motorized fan for positioning over the first vent hole surround to serve as an exhaust fan for the portable toilet enclosure, and a solar panel for affixing to the first backing plate, said solar panel being electrically connected to the first motorized exhaust fan; (b) a second lower fan unit that includes a second main housing for mounting to the same sidewall of the portable enclosure a set distance away from the first fan unit, said second main housing including: a second backing plate for attaching to a lower section the sidewall the set distance from the first fan unit, a second vent hole surround that passes at least partially through a second fan hole in the sidewall, and an electrically powered, second motorized fan for positioning over the second vent hole surround to serve as an intake fan for the portable toilet enclosure, and (c) an electrical connection from the solar panel in the first main connection to the second motorized fan of the second main housing.
 12. The solar powered ventilation system of claim 11 wherein the first fan unit is located closer to a ceiling for the portable toilet enclosure.
 13. The solar powered ventilation system of claim 11 wherein the second fan unit is located closer to a floor for the portable toilet enclosure.
 14. The solar powered ventilation system of claim 13 wherein the second fan unit is located between about 12 to 24 inches above the floor for the portable toilet enclosure.
 15. The solar powered ventilation system of claim 11 wherein the first main housing further includes a first front cover portion for minimizing accidental damage to the first motorized fan and the second main housing further includes a second front cover portion for minimizing accidental damage to the second motorized fan.
 16. The solar powered ventilation system of claim 15 wherein at least one of the first front cover portion and the second front cover portion includes an air directing hood extension.
 17. The solar powered ventilation system of claim 11, which further includes a wire covering over the electrical connection from the solar panel in the first main connection to the second motorized fan of the second main housing
 18. A method for providing improved air circulation into and out of a portable toilet enclosure, said method comprising the steps of: a. providing a dual fan, solar powered ventilation system for the portable toilet enclosure, said ventilation system comprising: (i) a first upper fan unit that includes a first main housing for mounting to a sidewall of the portable toilet enclosure, said first main housing including: a first backing plate for attaching to an upper section of the sidewall, a first vent hole surround that passes at least partially through a first fan hole in the sidewall, an electrically powered, first motorized fan for positioning over the first vent hole surround to serve as an exhaust fan for the portable toilet enclosure, and a solar panel for affixing to the first backing plate, said solar panel being electrically connected to the first motorized exhaust fan; (ii) a second lower fan unit that includes a second main housing for mounting to the same sidewall of the portable enclosure a set distance away from the first fan unit, said second main housing including: a second backing plate for attaching to a lower section the sidewall the set distance from the first fan unit, a second vent hole surround that passes at least partially through a second fan hole in the sidewall, an electrically powered, second motorized fan for positioning over the second vent hole surround to serve as an intake fan for the portable toilet enclosure, and (iii) an electrical connection from the solar panel in the first main connection to the second motorized fan of the second main housing; b. drilling a first aperture through a sidewall of the portable toilet enclosure, closer to a ceiling of the portable toilet enclosure and inserting the first fan unit into and through the first aperture; c. drilling a second aperture through a sidewall of the portable toilet enclosure, closer to a floor of the portable toilet enclosure and inserting the second fan unit into and through the second aperture; and d. electrically connecting the solar panel of the first upper fan unit to the second lower fan unit.
 19. The method of claim 18, which further comprises: e. covering the electrical connection from the solar panel of the first upper fan unit to the second lower fan unit. 